Method and apparatus for logical channel selection

ABSTRACT

A user equipment (UE) and a method for packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) duplication are provided. The method includes receiving, from a base station (BS), a radio resource control (RRC) message configuring a logical channel with a logical channel prioritization (LCP) restriction and configuring the logical channel to be associated with a data radio bearer (DRB) configured with a PDCP duplication function, wherein the PDCP duplication function is associated with a first cell group; receiving, from the BS, an uplink (UL) grant indicating a UL resource on a serving cell; initiating an LCP procedure for generating a protocol data unit (PDU) to be transmitted on the UL resource; and determining whether to apply the LCP restriction during the LCP procedure upon determining that the PDCP duplication function is deactivated.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/448,942, filed on Jun. 21, 2019, which claimsthe benefit of and priority to a provisional U.S. Patent ApplicationSer. No. 62/688,187, filed on Jun. 21, 2018, the contents of all ofwhich are fully incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication, andmore particularly, to logical channel selection in the next generationwireless communication networks.

BACKGROUND

Various efforts have been made to improve different aspects of wirelesscommunications, such as data rate, latency, reliability and mobility,for the next generation (e.g., 5G New Radio (NR)) wireless communicationsystems. On the purpose of supporting diverse use cases such as enhancedMobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-reliable and Low Latency Communications(URLLC) and massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), the radio framestructure and most of the medium access control (MAC) layer proceduresin NR are designed to have high flexibility. In addition, NR alsointroduces a new type of radio resource which has a more robustcharacteristic (e.g., low block error rate (BLER)). The new type ofradio resource aims to achieve a target BLER of 10⁻⁵.

One procedure in the MAC layer is logic channel prioritization (LCP),which is applied when a new transmission is performed. When a basestation (e.g., eNB, ng-eNB, gNB) assigns uplink resources for a userequipment (UE) to transmit uplink data, the UE may perform the LCPprocedure to allocate the uplink resource assignments to appropriatelogical channels. The LCP procedure may include a procedure of logicalchannel selection to identify valid logical channels for creating a MACprotocol data unit (PDU). In NR wireless communication systems, there isa need for providing a method for logical channel selection to properlydifferentiate the radio resource usage between the eMBB and the URLLCservices.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to packet data convergence protocol(PDCP) duplication for the next generation wireless communicationnetworks.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a UE for PDCPduplication is provided. The UE includes a processor; and a memorycoupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores acomputer-executable program that when executed by the processor, causesthe processor to receive, from a base station (BS), a radio resourcecontrol (RRC) message configuring a logical channel with a logicalchannel prioritization (LCP) restriction and configuring the logicalchannel to be associated with a data radio bearer (DRB) configured witha PDCP duplication function, wherein the PDCP duplication function isassociated with a first cell group; receive, from the BS, an uplink (UL)grant indicating a UL resource on a serving cell; initiate an LCPprocedure for generating a protocol data unit (PDU) to be transmitted onthe UL resource; and determine whether to apply the LCP restrictionduring the LCP procedure upon determining that the PDCP duplicationfunction is deactivated.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for PDCPduplication performed by a user equipment (UE) is provided. The methodincludes receiving, from a BS, an RRC message configuring a logicalchannel with an LCP restriction and configuring the logical channel tobe associated with a DRB configured with a PDCP duplication function,wherein the PDCP duplication function is associated with a first cellgroup; receiving, from the BS, an UL grant indicating a UL resource on aserving cell; initiating an LCP procedure for generating a PDU to betransmitted on the UL resource; and determining whether to apply the LCPrestriction during the LCP procedure upon determining that the PDCPduplication function is deactivated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the example disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. Variousfeatures are not drawn to scale, dimensions of various features may bearbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a protocol stack of a UE, according toan example implementation of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating multiple logical channels associatedwith a MAC entity, according to an example implementation of the presentapplication.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for a method of logical channel selectionperformed by a UE, according to an example implementation of the presentapplication.

FIG. 4 shows one format of a logical channel configuration, according toan example implementation of the present application.

FIG. 5 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity, according to an example implementation of the presentapplication.

FIG. 6 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #1-a, according to an example implementation of thepresent application.

FIG. 7 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #1-b, according to an example implementation of thepresent application.

FIG. 8 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #1-c, according to an example implementation of thepresent application.

FIG. 9 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #1-c, according to an example implementation of thepresent application.

FIG. 10 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #1-d, according to an example implementation of thepresent application.

FIG. 11 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #1-e, according to an example implementation of thepresent application.

FIG. 12 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #1-e, according to an example implementation of thepresent application.

FIG. 13 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #1-f, according to an example implementation of thepresent application.

FIG. 14 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #2-a, according to an example implementation of thepresent application.

FIG. 15 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #2-b, according to an example implementation of thepresent application.

FIG. 16 illustrates a block diagram of a device for wirelesscommunication, in accordance with various aspects of the presentapplication.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description contains specific information pertaining toexample implementations in the present disclosure. The drawings in thepresent disclosure and their accompanying detailed description aredirected to merely example implementations. However, the presentdisclosure is not limited to merely these example implementations. Othervariations and implementations of the present disclosure will occur tothose skilled in the art. Unless noted otherwise, like or correspondingelements among the figures may be indicated by like or correspondingreference numerals. Moreover, the drawings and illustrations in thepresent disclosure are generally not to scale, and are not intended tocorrespond to actual relative dimensions.

For the purpose of consistency and ease of understanding, like featuresare identified (although, in some examples, not shown) by numerals inthe example figures. However, the features in different implementationsmay be differed in other respects, and thus shall not be narrowlyconfined to what is shown in the figures.

The description uses the phrases “in one implementation,” or “in someimplementations,” which may each refer to one or more of the same ordifferent implementations. The term “coupled” is defined as connected,whether directly or indirectly through intervening components, and isnot necessarily limited to physical connections. The term “comprising,”when utilized, means “including, but not necessarily limited to”; itspecifically indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in theso-described combination, group, series and the equivalent. Theexpression “at least one of A, B and C” or “at least one of thefollowing: A, B and C” means “only A, or only B, or only C, or anycombination of A, B and C.”

Additionally, for the purposes of explanation and non-limitation,specific details, such as functional entities, techniques, protocols,standard, and the like are set forth for providing an understanding ofthe described technology. In other examples, detailed description ofwell-known methods, technologies, system, architectures, and the likeare omitted so as not to obscure the description with unnecessarydetails.

Persons skilled in the art will immediately recognize that any networkfunction(s) or algorithm(s) described in the present disclosure may beimplemented by hardware, software or a combination of software andhardware. Described functions may correspond to modules may be software,hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. The softwareimplementation may comprise computer executable instructions stored oncomputer readable medium such as memory or other type of storagedevices. For example, one or more microprocessors or general purposecomputers with communication processing capability may be programmedwith corresponding executable instructions and carry out the describednetwork function(s) or algorithm(s). The microprocessors or generalpurpose computers may be formed of applications specific integratedcircuitry (ASIC), programmable logic arrays, and/or using one or moredigital signal processor (DSPs). Although some of the exampleimplementations described in this specification are oriented to softwareinstalled and executing on computer hardware, nevertheless, alternativeexample implementations implemented as firmware or as hardware orcombination of hardware and software are well within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

The computer readable medium includes but is not limited to randomaccess memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), erasable programmableread-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM),magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, or any otherequivalent medium capable of storing computer-readable instructions.

A radio communication network architecture (e.g., a long term evolution(LTE) system, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, an LTE-Advanced Prosystem, or a 5G New Radio (NR) Radio Access Network) typically includesat least one base station, at least one user equipment (UE), and one ormore optional network elements that provide connection towards anetwork. The UE communicates with the network (e.g., a core network(CN), an evolved packet core (EPC) network, an Evolved UniversalTerrestrial Radio Access network (E-UTRAN), a 5G Core (5GC), or aninternet), through a radio access network (RAN) established by one ormore base stations.

It should be noted that, in the present application, a UE may include,but is not limited to, a mobile station, a mobile terminal or device, auser communication radio terminal. For example, a UE may be a portableradio equipment, which includes, but is not limited to, a mobile phone,a tablet, a wearable device, a sensor, a vehicle, or a personal digitalassistant (PDA) with wireless communication capability. The UE isconfigured to receive and transmit signals over an air interface to oneor more cells in a radio access network.

A base station may be configured to provide communication servicesaccording to at least one of the following radio access technologies(RATs): Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), GlobalSystem for Mobile communications (GSM, often referred to as 2G), GSMEDGE radio access Network (GERAN), General Packet Radio Service (GRPS),Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS, often referred to as3G) based on basic wideband-code division multiple access (W-CDMA),high-speed packet access (HSPA), LTE, LTE-A, eLTE (evolved LTE, e.g.,LTE connected to 5GC), New Radio (NR, often referred to as 5G), and/orLTE-A Pro. However, the scope of the present application should not belimited to the above mentioned protocols.

A base station may include, but is not limited to, a node B (NB) as inthe UMTS, an evolved node B (eNB) as in the LTE or LTE-A, a radionetwork controller (RNC) as in the UMTS, a base station controller (BSC)as in the GSM/GERAN, a ng-eNB as in an E-UTRA base station in connectionwith the 5GC, a next generation node B (gNB) as in the 5G-RAN, and anyother apparatus capable of controlling radio communication and managingradio resources within a cell. The base station may connect to serve theone or more UEs through a radio interface to the network.

The base station is operable to provide radio coverage to a specificgeographical area using a plurality of cells forming the radio accessnetwork. The base station supports the operations of the cells. Eachcell is operable to provide services to at least one UE within its radiocoverage. More specifically, each cell (often referred to as a servingcell) provides services to serve one or more UEs within its radiocoverage (e.g., each cell schedules the downlink and optionally uplinkresources to at least one UE within its radio coverage for downlink andoptionally uplink packet transmissions). The base station cancommunicate with one or more UEs in the radio communication systemthrough the plurality of cells. A cell may allocate sidelink (SL)resources for supporting proximity service (ProSe) or Vehicle toEverything (V2X) service. Each cell may have overlapped coverage areaswith other cells.

As discussed above, the frame structure for NR is to support flexibleconfigurations for accommodating various next generation (e.g., 5G)communication requirements, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB),massive machine type communication (mMTC), ultra reliable communicationand low latency communication (URLLC), while fulfilling highreliability, high data rate and low latency requirements. The orthogonalfrequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) technology as agreed in 3GPP mayserve as a baseline for NR waveform. The scalable OFDM numerology, suchas the adaptive sub-carrier spacing, the channel bandwidth, and theCyclic Prefix (CP) may also be used. Additionally, two coding schemesare considered for NR: (1) low-density parity-check (LDPC) code and (2)Polar Code. The coding scheme adaption may be configured based on thechannel conditions and/or the service applications.

Moreover, it is also considered that in a transmission time interval TXof a single NR frame, a downlink (DL) transmission data, a guard period,and an uplink (UL) transmission data should at least be included, wherethe respective portions of the DL transmission data, the guard period,the UL transmission data should also be configurable, for example, basedon the network dynamics of NR. In addition, sidelink resource may alsobe provided in an NR frame to support ProSe services or V2X services.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a protocol stack of a UE, according toan example implementation of the present application. The protocol stackin the UE 100 may include a radio resource control (RRC) layer 110, apacket data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer 120, a radio link control(RLC) layer 130, a medium access control (MAC) layer 140, and a physical(PHY) layer 150. The functions of the RRC layer 110 may include:broadcast of system information, establishment and release of an RRCconnection between the UE 100 and a network (e.g. next generation radioaccess network, NG-RAN), Quality of Service (QoS) management functions,etc. The functions of the PDCP layer 120 may include: ciphering,deciphering, integrity protection, duplication of PDCP PDUs, etc. Thefunctions of the RLC layer 130 may include segmentation of RLC servicedata units (SDUs), reassembly of SDU, RLC re-establishment, etc. Thefunctions of the MAC layer 140 may include mapping between logicalchannels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs belonging toone ore different logical channels into transport blocks (TB) deliveredto the PHY layer 150 on transport channels, priority handling betweenlogical channels of the UE 100 by means of logical channelprioritization, etc. The functions of the PHY layer 150 may includecarrier modulation, channel coding, initial access, beam management,etc.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating multiple logical channels associatedwith a MAC entity, according to an example implementation of the presentapplication. FIG. 2 focuses on the MAC layer 140, RLC layer 130, andPDCP layer 120 shown in FIG. 1. The architecture 200 in the UE 100 maybe configured by a base station (e.g., gNB). The MAC layer 140 offers tothe to the RLC layer 130 logical channels. In general, a single MACentity is configured to the UE 100. When the UE 100 is configured with asecondary cell group (SCG), two MAC entities may be configured to the UE100: one for the master cell group (MCG) and one for the SCG. As shownin FIG. 2, a MAC entity 141 may be associated with multiple logicalchannels LCH1, LCH2, LCH3, LCH4, which are corresponding to multiple RLCentities 131, 132, 133, 134, respectively. During the procedure of logicchannel selection, the MAC entity 141 may select one or more logicchannels among the logical channels LCH1, LCH2, LCH3, LCH4, and thenallocate an uplink grant to the selected one or more logical channels.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the UE 100 is configured with thearchitecture 200 that supports PDCP duplication function. In oneimplementation, some of the logical channels may be associated to aradio bearer configured with the PDCP duplication function, and some ofthe logical channels may be associated to another radio bearer that isnot configured with the PDCP duplication function. As shown in FIG. 2,logical channels LCH1 and LCH2 are not associated to the PDCPduplication function, and logical channels LCH3 and LCH4 are associatedto the PDCP duplication function.

In one implementation, the PDCP duplication function may be activated ordeactivated dynamically. Therefore, for a radio bearer that is notassociated with the PDCP duplication function (such as the radio bearerof the PDCP entity 121 or the PDCP entity 122), possible scenarios mayinclude: (a) the radio bearer is not configured with the PDCPduplication function, (b) the radio bearer is configured with the PDCPduplication function but the PDCP duplication function is deactivated,(c) the radio bearer was configured with the PDCP duplication functionbefore but now the PDCP duplication function is removed. For a radiobearer that is associated with the PDCP entity 123 which is configuredwith PDCP duplication function, two RLC entities 133 and 134 may handlethe duplicated PDCP PDUs for the radio bearer associated with the PDCPentity 123. The PDCP duplication function may be configured for a radiobearer by RRC. With two transmission paths, the PDCP duplicationfunction may increase reliability and thus is beneficial for URLLCservices.

The URLLC service has high reliability requirement on its datatransmission. In contrast, the eMBB service cares more on its data rateimprovement. In order to achieve the high reliability requirement forthe URLLC service, NR's physical layer may provide a new radio resourcethat has lower target BLER (e.g., 10⁻⁵) than the original type (e.g.,10⁻¹). With two different types of radio resource, a UE may be grantedor scheduled with radio resource dynamically if the UE subscribes bothURLLC and eMBB services. How the UE allocates the radio resource grantedby the gNB between URLLC and eMBB services remains an issue. In fact,the eMBB service can be satisfied with normal BLER level radio resource,but the URLLC service cannot. Hence, when a low BLER radio resource datais granted from the gNB, the MAC layer in the UE may prioritize the lowBLER radio resource to be adopted by a logical channel (LCH) that servesthe URLLC service rather than a logical channel that serves the eMBBservice. Because the low and normal BLER levels of radio resource aregranted dynamically by the gNB, there is a need for providing anenhanced MAC procedure within the UE, especially a logical channelprioritization (LCP) procedure, to achieve more efficient operation. TheLCP procedure will be discussed in detail in the following description.

In one implementation, a method of logical channel selection performedby a UE may include the following actions. The UE may receive, from abase station, a BLER related restriction for each of a plurality ofconfigured logical channels. The UE may receive, from the base station,an uplink (UL) grant. The UE may obtain a BLER related characteristic ofthe UL grant. The UE may select, among the plurality of configuredlogical channels, one or more logical channels for the UL grant,according to the BLER related characteristic of the UL grant and theBLER related restriction for each of the plurality of configured logicalchannels. The UE may allocate the UL grant to the selected one or morelogical channels.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for a method of logical channel selectionperformed by a UE, according to an example implementation of the presentapplication. The method 300 may include actions 302, 304, 306, 308, and310. In action 302, the UE may receive, from a base station, a BLERrelated restriction for each of a plurality of configured logicalchannels. In action 304, the UE may receive, from the base station, anuplink (UL) grant. In action 306, the UE may obtain a BLER relatedcharacteristic of the UL grant. In action 308, the UE may select, amongthe plurality of configured logical channels, one or more logicalchannels for the UL grant, according to the BLER related characteristicof the UL grant and the BLER related restriction for each of theplurality of configured logical channels when a first condition is met.In action 310, the UE may allocate the UL grant to the selected one ormore logical channels. It should be noted that the base station in thisdisclosure may be eNB, ng-eNB, gNB, or other apparatus capable ofcontrolling radio communication and managing radio resources within acell. In the following, the base station may also be denoted as gNB forsimplification. It should also be noted that the NR gNB or the cellmentioned in the disclosure may be applied to any base station,regardless the radio access technologies.

The UL grant in action 304 may be received on a Physical DownlinkControl Channel (PDCCH). Once a new transmission is performed (e.g., anUL grant is received), the UE may obtain the BLER related characteristicof the UL grant in action 306. In one implementation, the action 306 mayinclude: the MAC entity of the UE obtains a BLER characteristic of theUL grant from the physical layer of the UE. The BLER characteristic mayindicate a BLER level of the UL grant. The BLER characteristic may be anexact BLER value, a BLER level index, or a pre-categorized BLER level.

In one implementation, the MAC entity may be notified, by the physicallayer, the target BLER of the UL grant (e.g., radio resource). The BLERnotification from the physical layer to the MAC entity may be a BLERlevel based on pre-categorized BLER levels (e.g., normal or low) or anexact value of the BLER (e.g., 10⁻¹, 10⁻⁵ . . . etc.). In oneimplementation, the target BLER of the UL grant may be indicated by aspecific Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI). In oneimplementation, the target BLER may be categorized into multiple levelsby the gNB. A corresponding BLER mapping table may be provided from thegNB to the UE via a downlink RRC message (e.g., RRCReconfiguration,RRCResume, RRCReestablishment, RRCSetup or any other downlink unicastRRC message). An example of a BLER mapping table is shown in Table 1below.

TABLE 1 Example of a BLER mapping table BLER level index BLER value 0010⁻¹ 01 10⁻⁵ 10 10⁻⁷ 11 Reserved

Based on the BLER mapping table, the physical layer may simply providean BLER level index to the MAC entity for indicating the BLER of the ULgrant. The MAC entity may figure out the BLER by receiving the BLERlevel index and referring to the BLER mapping table. In oneimplementation, the physical layer may not provide the BLERcharacteristic (e.g., the BLER level index) to the MAC entity. In otherwords, the physical layer may optionally provide the BLER characteristicto the MAC entity for each UL grant. When the MAC entity does notsuccessfully obtain the BLER characteristic of the UL grant from thephysical layer, the MAC entity may set a predetermined value to the BLERlevel of the UL grant. The predetermined value may be a default BLERlevel (e.g., predetermined or preconfigured by the gNB), a normal or aspecific BLER level (e.g., predetermined or preconfigured by the gNB),or a BLER level of a previous UL grant. In one implementation, if theBLER characteristic (e.g., the BLER level index) is not provided fromthe physical layer to the MAC entity, the MAC entity may ignore the BLERmatter within the LCP procedure for this UL grant.

The BLER related restriction in action 302 may be within a logicalchannel configuration provided by the gNB to the UE. In oneimplementation, the BLER related restriction may be within a downlink(DL) RRC message (e.g. RRCReconfiguration, RRCResume,RRCReestablishment, RRCSetup or any other downlink unicast RRC message)sent from the base station. FIG. 4 shows one format of a logical channelconfiguration, according to an example implementation of the presentapplication. Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1) may be used todescribe the data structure of various implementations of a message inthe present application. As shown in FIG. 4, a data structure 400 of thelogical channel configuration may include parameters related to the LCPprocedure, including priority, prioritisedBitRate, bucketSizeDuration,and BLER_restriction of each logical channel.

After the BLER_restriction for each LCH is configured by the gNB (e.g.,action 302 in FIG. 3), the UE may consider the configuredBLER_restriction during the procedure of logical channel selection.After the MAC entity is indicated, by the physical layer, the BLER ofthe UL grant for a new transmission (e.g., action 306 in FIG. 3), theMAC may select one or more logical channels for each UL grant thatsatisfy BLER related restriction during the selection of logicalchannels stage within the LCP procedure (e.g., action 308 in FIG. 3).

The BLER related restriction may be explicitly or implicitly configuredby the gNB. In one implementation, when the gNB configures each logicalchannel to the UE, the gNB may explicitly indicate a BLER relatedrestriction (e.g., BLER_restriction shown in FIG. 4) via a specificinformation element (IE) within a specific downlink RRC message (e.g., aLogicalChannelConfig IE within the RRCReconfiguration, RRCResume,RRCReestablishment, RRCSetup or any other downlink unicast RRC message).

FIG. 5 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity, according to an example implementation of the presentapplication. According to method 500 shown in FIG. 5, the MAC entity mayselect a logical channel that satisfies various conditions includingBLER_restriction and other factors such as subcarrier spacing, allowedserving cells, and so on. For example, the MAC entity may select an LCHif the LCH's corresponding BLER_restriction satisfies a specificcondition. There are several alternatives regarding the BLER_restrictionshown in FIG. 4 and the specific condition shown in FIG. 5.

Case #1-a: Allowed Highest BLER Level

The BLER_restriction shown in FIG. 4 may be a threshold of the highestBLER that is allowed by an LCH. In Case #1-a, the BLER_restriction maybe renamed as Allowed_Highest_BLER. For example, if the LCH isrestricted to only adopt the UL grant whose BLER is not higher than 10⁻⁵(e.g., only 10⁻⁵ and 10⁻⁷ may be allowed), the BLER_restriction shown inFIG. 4 may be:

Allowed_Highest_BLER 10⁻⁵

In one implementation, the gNB may indicate the threshold through a BLERlevel index (e.g., the index shown in Table 1) instead. TheBLER_restriction shown in FIG. 4 may be:

Allowed_Highest_BLER 01

FIG. 6 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #1-a, according to an example implementation of thepresent application. During the selection of logical channels procedureshown in FIG. 5, the MAC entity may select an LCH if the LCH'scorresponding configured Allowed_Highest_BLER satisfies a specificcondition. According to the method 600 shown in FIG. 6, the specificcondition may be: Allowed_Highest_BLER is not lower than the BLER levelof the UL grant.

It should be noted that the method shown in FIG. 6 is corresponding tothe method shown in FIG. 5. The omitted part ( . . . ) in FIG. 6 may becorresponding to the conditions: allowed Subcarrier Spacing indexvalues, maxPUSCH-duration, configuredGrantType1Allowed, andallowedServingCells shown in FIG. 5. Allowed_Highest_BLER in FIG. 6 maybe corresponding to BLER_restriction in FIG. 5. Similar representationis also used in FIG. 7-FIG. 15.

Case #1-b: Allowed Lowest BLER Level

The BLER_restriction shown in FIG. 4 may be a threshold of the lowestBLER that is allowed by an LCH. In Case #1-b, the BLER_restriction maybe renamed as Allowed_Lowest_BLER. For example, if the LCH is restrictedto only adopt the UL grant whose BLER is not lower than 10⁻⁵ (e.g., only10⁻¹ and 10⁻⁵ may be allowed), the BLER_restriction shown in FIG. 4 maybe:

Allowed_Lowest_BLER 10⁻⁵

In one implementation, the gNB may indicate the threshold through a BLERlevel index (e.g., the index shown in Table 1) instead. TheBLER_restriction shown in FIG. 4 may be:

Allowed_Lowest_BLER 01

FIG. 7 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #1-b, according to an example implementation of thepresent application. During the selection of logical channels procedureshown in FIG. 5, the MAC entity may select an LCH if the LCH'scorresponding configured Allowed_Lowest_BLER satisfies a specificcondition. According to the method 700 shown in FIG. 7, the specificcondition may be: Allowed_Lowest_BLER is not higher than the BLER levelof the UL grant.

Case #1-c: Allowed BLER Level List

The BLER_restriction shown in FIG. 4 may be a list of the BLER levelsthat is allowed by an LCH. In Case #1-c, the BLER_restriction may berenamed as Allowed_BLER_List. For example, if the LCH is restricted toonly adopt the UL grant whose BLER is 10⁻¹ or 10⁻⁵, the BLER_restrictionshown in FIG. 4 may be:

Allowed_BLER_List {10⁻¹,10⁻⁵}

In one implementation, the gNB may indicate the list through a BLERlevel index (e.g., the index shown in Table 1) instead. TheBLER_restriction shown in FIG. 4 may be:

Allowed_BLER_List {00, 01}

FIG. 8 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #1-c, according to an example implementation of thepresent application. During the selection of logical channels procedureshown in FIG. 5, the MAC entity may select an LCH if the LCH'scorresponding configured Allowed_BLER_List satisfies a specificcondition. According to the method 800 shown in FIG. 8, the specificcondition may be: the set of BLER values in Allowed_BLER_List includesthe BLER level of the UL grant.

In one implementation, the list may be indicated through a BLER levelindex. The corresponding method for logical channel selection may bereferred to FIG. 9, which shows a process of logical channel selectionperformed by a MAC entity in Case #1-c, according to an exampleimplementation of the present application. During the selection oflogical channels procedure shown in FIG. 5, the MAC entity may select anLCH if the LCH's corresponding configured Allowed_BLER_List satisfies aspecific condition. According to the method 900 shown in FIG. 9, thespecific condition may be: the set of BLER level indexes inAllowed_BLER_List includes the BLER level of the UL grant.

Case #1-d: Allowed Specific BLER Level

The BLER_restriction shown in FIG. 4 may be a single BLER level that isallowed by an LCH. In Case #1-d, the BLER_restriction may be renamed asAllowed_Specific_BLER. For example, if the LCH is restricted to onlyadopt the UL grant whose BLER is 10⁻⁵, the BLER_restriction shown inFIG. 4 may be:

Allowed_Specific_BLER 10⁻⁵

In one implementation, the gNB may indicate the specific BLER levelthrough a BLER level index (e.g., the index shown in Table 1) instead.The BLER_restriction shown in FIG. 4 may be:

Allowed_Specific_BLER 01

In one implementation, the Allowed_Specific_BLER may be used to indicatewhether the LCH is allowed to adopt the UL grant whose BLER level is apre-configured value (e.g., default value). The default value may bepreconfigured by the gNB, and the default value may be UE specific, cellgroup specific, cell specific, carrier specific (e.g., normal uplink(NUL) or supplementary uplink (SUL)), or bandwidth part (BWP) specific.

FIG. 10 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #1-d, according to an example implementation of thepresent application. During the selection of logical channels procedureshown in FIG. 5, the MAC entity may select an LCH if the LCH'scorresponding configured Allowed_Specific_BLER satisfies a specificcondition. According to the method 1000 shown in FIG. 10, the specificcondition may be: Allowed_Specific_BLER matches the BLER level of the ULgrant.

Case #1-e: Prohibited BLER Level List

The BLER_restriction shown in FIG. 4 may be a list of the BLER levelsthat is not allowed by an LCH. In Case #1-e, the BLER_restriction may berenamed as Prohibit_BLER_List. For example, if the LCH is prohibited toadopt the UL grant whose BLER is 10⁻¹ or 10⁻⁵, the BLER_restrictionshown in FIG. 4 may be:

Prohibit_BLER_List {10⁻¹,10⁻⁵}

In one implementation, the gNB may indicate the list through a BLERlevel index (e.g., the index shown in Table 1) instead. TheBLER_restriction shown in FIG. 4 may be:

Prohibit_BLER_List {00, 01}

FIG. 11 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #1-e, according to an example implementation of thepresent application. During the selection of logical channels procedureshown in FIG. 5, the MAC entity may select an LCH if the LCH'scorresponding configured Prohibit_BLER_List satisfies a specificcondition. According to the method 1100 shown in FIG. 11, the specificcondition may be: the set of BLER values in Prohibit_BLER_List does notinclude the BLER level of the UL grant.

In one implementation, the list may be indicated through a BLER levelindex. The corresponding method for logical channel selection may bereferred to FIG. 12, which shows a process of logical channel selectionperformed by a MAC entity in Case #1-e, according to an exampleimplementation of the present application. During the selection oflogical channels procedure shown in FIG. 5, the MAC entity may select anLCH if the LCH's corresponding configured Prohibit_BLER_List satisfies aspecific condition. According to the method 1200 shown in FIG. 12, thespecific condition may be: the set of BLER level indexes inProhibit_BLER_List does not include the BLER level of the UL grant.

Case #1-f: Prohibited Specific BLER Level

The BLER_restriction shown in FIG. 4 may be a single BLER level that isnot allowed by an LCH. In Case #1-f, the BLER_restriction may be renamedas Prohibit_Specific_BLER. For example, if the LCH is prohibited toadopt the UL grant whose BLER is 10⁻⁵, the BLER_restriction shown inFIG. 4 may be:

Prohibit_Specific_BLER 10⁻⁵

In one implementation, the gNB may indicate the specific BLER levelthrough a BLER level index (e.g., the index shown in Table 1) instead.The BLER_restriction shown in FIG. 4 may be:

Prohibit_Specific_BLER 01

In one implementation, the Prohibit_Specific_BLER may be used toindicate whether the LCH is not allowed to adopt the UL grant whose BLERlevel is a pre-configured value (e.g., default value). The default valuemay be preconfigured by the gNB, and the default value may be UEspecific, cell group specific, cell specific, carrier specific (e.g.,normal uplink (NUL) or supplementary uplink (SUL)), or bandwidth part(BWP) specific.

FIG. 13 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #1-f, according to an example implementation of thepresent application. During the selection of logical channels procedureshown in FIG. 5, the MAC entity may select an LCH if the LCH'scorresponding configured Prohibit_Specific_BLER satisfies a specificcondition. According to the method 1300 shown in FIG. 13, the specificcondition may be: Prohibit_Specific_BLER does not match the BLER levelof the UL grant.

Case #1-g: Multiple BLER Mapping Tables

In one implementation, in addition to Table 1 shown above, the gNB mayconfigure the UE with another BLER mapping table. Table 1 may be calledthe first BLER mapping table, and the additional configured BLER mappingtable may be called the second BLER mapping table. In oneimplementation, the mapping between the BLER level index and the BLERvalue within the second BLER mapping table may be: one BLER level indexmaps to multiple BLER values or a range of BLER values. In oneimplementation, the BLER value in the second BLER mapping table maydirectly represent a threshold of acceptable highest or lowest BLERvalue.

In one implementation, the first BLER mapping table may be used when thephysical layer indicates the BLER level of each granted UL grant to theMAC entity (e.g., action 306 shown in FIG. 3). On the other hand, thesecond BLER mapping table may be used when the gNB configures eachlogical channel to the UE (e.g., the logical channel configuration shownin FIG. 4, action 302 shown in FIG. 3). As such, a BLER level index mayrepresent a BLER related restriction, as described in case #1-a throughcase #14.

Case #1-h: BLER Related Restriction Indicated by Bandwidth Part

In one implementation, the BLER related restriction for each of theconfigured logical channels may be a list of bandwidth parts (BWPs). TheAllowed BLER level list, Allowed Specific BLER, Prohibit BLER level listand Prohibit_Specific_BLER in case #1-c through case #1-f may bereplaced by Allowed BWP list, Allowed Specific BWP, Prohibit BWP listand Prohibit Specific BWP, respectively. The gNB may control the BLERlevel specific UL grant adopted by specific LCH by indicating a BWPrelated LCP restriction (e.g., BLER_restriction IE shown in FIG. 4) viaa specific IE within a specific downlink RRC message (e.g., aLogicalChannelConfig IE within the RRCReconfiguration, RRCResume,RRCReestablishment, RRCSetup or any other downlink unicast RRC message).The BLER level specific UL grant may be granted by the gNB only in aspecific BWP. The BLER related characteristic of the UL grant mayinclude a first BWP indication indicating which BWP the UL grant is in.In case #1-h, there may be an implicit mapping relation between a BWPand a BLER level. By using the BWP to configure the BLER relatedrestriction of each logical channel and indicating which BWP the ULgrant is in, the LCP procedure effectively takes the BLER relatedrestriction into consideration.

Case #1-i: BLER Related Restriction Indicated by Carrier

In one implementation, the BLER related restriction for each of theconfigured logical channels may be a list of carriers. The Allowed BLERlevel list, Allowed Specific BLER, Prohibit BLER level list and ProhibitSpecific BLER in case #1-c through case #1-f may be replaced by Allowedcarrier list, Allowed Specific carrier, Prohibit carrier list andProhibit Specific carrier, respectively. The gNB may control the BLERlevel specific UL grant adopted by specific LCH by indicating a carrierrelated LCP restriction (e.g., BLER_restriction IE shown in FIG. 4) viaa specific IE within a specific downlink RRC message (e.g., aLogicalChannelConfig IE within the RRCReconfiguration, RRCResume,RRCReestablishment, RRCSetup or any other downlink unicast RRC message).The BLER level specific UL grant may be granted by the gNB only in aspecific carrier. The BLER related characteristic of the UL grant mayinclude a first carrier which the UE grant uses. In case #1-i, there maybe an implicit mapping relation between a carrier and a BLER level. Byusing the carrier to configure the BLER related restriction of eachlogical channel and indicating which carrier the UL grant uses, the LCPprocedure effectively takes the BLER related restriction intoconsideration.

In one implementation, when the gNB configures each logical channel tothe UE, the gNB may not explicitly indicate a BLER related LCPrestriction (e.g., BLER_restriction IE shown in FIG. 4) via a specificIE within a specific downlink RRC message (e.g., a LogicalChannelConfigIE within the RRCReconfiguration, RRCResume, RRCReestablishment,RRCSetup or any other downlink unicast RRC message). Instead, the gNBmay implicitly configure the UE to prohibit a specific BLER level of anUL grant to be adopted by a specific LCH. Several alternatives ofimplicit LCP restriction are described below.

Case #2-a: Logical Channels Associated with a PDCP Duplication Function

In one implementation, only the logical channel(s) associated to thePDCP duplication function may apply a specific BLER level UL grant. Inother words, during the procedure of logical channel selection, a set ofcandidate logical channels may be identified first, and the selected oneor more logical channels may be selected from the set of candidatelogical channels. The set of candidate logical channels may beassociated to a radio bearer configured with a PDCP duplicationfunction.

FIG. 14 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #2-a, according to an example implementation of thepresent application. When the UE is granted by the gNB with a specificBLER level of UL grant, during the selection of logical channelsprocedure shown in FIG. 5, the MAC entity may select an LCH if the LCHsatisfies a specific condition. According to the method 1400 shown inFIG. 14, the specific condition may be: the logical channel of the DRBwhich is configured with the PDCP duplication function.

An example of Case #2-a may be referred to the architecture 200 shown inFIG. 2. In one scenario, logical channels LCH1 and LCH2 are notassociated to the PDCP duplication function, and the logical channelsLCH3 and LCH4 are associated to the PDCP duplication function. As such,the set of candidate logical channels in Case #2-a may include thelogical channels LCH3 and LCH4, but not the logical channels LCH1 andLCH2. In action 308 shown in FIG. 3, the UE may select one or morelogical channels from the logical channels LCH3 and LCH4.

Case #2-b: Logical Channels Associated with a PDCP Duplication Function,and the PDCP Duplication Function is Activated

In one implementation, only when a logical channel is associated to thePDCP duplication function and the PDCP duplication function isactivated, the logical channel may apply a specific BLER level UL grant.In other words, during the procedure of logical channel selection, a setof candidate logical channels may be identified first, and the selectedone or more logical channels may be selected from the set of candidatelogical channels. The set of candidate logical channels may beassociated to a radio bearer configured with a PDCP duplicationfunction, and the PDCP duplication function is activated for the set ofcandidate logical channels.

FIG. 15 shows a process of logical channel selection performed by a MACentity in Case #2-b, according to an example implementation of thepresent application. When the UE is granted by the gNB with a specificBLER level of UL grant, during the selection of logical channelsprocedure shown in FIG. 5, the MAC entity may select an LCH if the LCHsatisfies a specific condition. According to the method 1500 shown inFIG. 15, the specific condition may be: the logical channel of the DRBwhich is configured with the PDCP duplication function, and the PDCPduplication function is activated.

Refer to the method 500 shown in FIG. 5, there may be several factors tobe considered for logical channel selection. In one embodiment, the BLERrelated restriction may be optionally enabled/disabled in certainconditions. For example, the method 500 may take the BLER_restrictioninto consideration under specific conditions, and the method 500 mayignore the BLER_restriction under other specific conditions. Refer tothe method 300 shown in FIG. 3, in action 308, selection of one or morelogical channels may consider the BLER related restriction when a firstconditions is met. Several alternatives of the first condition in action308 are described below.

Case #3-a: The first condition may be met (e.g, the UE enables the LCPrestriction for a logical channel introduced in case #1-a through case#1-i) when the plurality of configured logical channels are associatedto a radio bearer configured with a PDCP duplication function.

Case #3-b: The first condition may be met (e.g, the UE enables the LCPrestriction for a logical channel introduced in case #1-a through case#1-i) when the plurality of configured logical channels are associatedto a radio bearer configured with a PDCP duplication function, and thePDCP duplication function is activated.

Case #3-c: In one implementation, the first condition may be met (e.g,the UE enables the LCP restriction for a logical channel introduced incase #1-a through case #1-i) when the UE is connected to the basestation by using a supplementary uplink carrier (SUL). That is, thecurrent connected UL carrier is a SUL. In another implementation, thefirst condition may be met when the current connected UL carrier is nota SUL. SUL may be configured to improve UL coverage for high frequencyscenarios. With SUL, the UE may be configured with two ULs for one DL ofthe same cell.

Case #3-d: The first condition may be met (e.g, the UE enables the LCPrestriction for a logical channel introduced in case #1-a through case#1-i) when a specific cell or a specific BWP is configured and/oractivated by the gNB.

Case #3-e: The gNB may configure multiple sets of LCP restrictionparameters to the UE. Each set of LCP restriction may be applied in aspecific situation. For example, the UE may be configured with a set ofLCP restriction parameters which includes the BLER related restrictionas introduced in case #1-a through case #1-i, and another set of LCPrestriction parameters which does not include the BLER relatedrestriction as introduced in case #1-a through case #1-i. The UE mayapply the first set of LCP restriction parameter in at least one of thefollowing conditions: current connected UL carrier is not a SUL, currentconnected UL carrier is a SUL, a specific cell is configured, a specificBWP is configured and/or activated by the gNB. The UE may apply thesecond set of LCP restriction otherwise.

Case #3-f: The LCP restriction introduced in case #1-a through case #1-ifor a logical channel may be disabled (e.g., the method 500 in FIG. 5may ignore the BLER_restriction) when the logical channel of a dataradio bearer (DRB) was configured with PDCP duplication function but nowthe PDCP duplication function is removed (e.g, the PDCP duplicationfunction is currently not configured by the gNB).

Case #3-g: The LCP restriction introduced in case #1-a through case #1-ifor a logical channel may be disabled (e.g., the method 500 in FIG. 5may ignore the BLER_restriction) when the logical channel of a DRB wasconfigured with PDCP duplication function and the status of the PDCPduplication function changed from activated to deactivated.

Case #3-h: In one implementation, the UE may enable the LCP restrictionfor a logical channel introduced in case #1-a through case #1-i.However, the UE may automatically disable one or more specificconfigured LCP restriction parameters. The specific LCP restrictionparameter may include, but not limited to, the following:allowedSCS-List which sets the allowed Subcarrier Spacing(s) fortransmission, maxPUSCH-Duration which sets the maximum PUSCH durationallowed for transmission, configuredGrantType1Allowed which sets whethera Configured Grant Type 1 can be used for transmission,allowedServingCells which sets the allowed cell(s) for transmission.

Case #3-i: When any one of case #3-a through case #3-h happens, the MACentity may apply another specific set or subset of theul-SpecificParameters, including for example, priority where anincreasing priority value indicates a lower priority level,prioritisedBitRate which sets the Prioritized Bit Rate (PBR),bucketSizeDuration which sets the Bucket Size Duration (BSD).

Case #3-j: The first condition may be met (e.g, the UE enables the LCPrestriction for a logical channel introduced in case #1-a through case#1-i) when a specific secondary eNB, secondary gNB, secondarytransceiver node, or secondary cell group is configured. The UE may bein a dual connectivity (DC) mode in case #3-j. In one implementation,the first condition may be met when the UE is configured with a firstMAC entity and a second MAC entity. The first MAC entity may be for amaster cell group (MCG) and the second MAC entity may be for a secondarycell group (SCG).

The various alternatives introduced in case #1, case #2, case #3 mayalso be logically combined and applied by the UE simultaneously.

For a grant based URLLC data transmission, the gNB may apply new RRCparameter(s) for configuring a URLLC specific RNTI. The gNB may alsoincrease the options of an RRC IE “MCS-table” to indicate the MCS tablefor URLLC data transmission. Since the reliability requirement for URLLCand eMBB is different, the MCS table applied for the URLLC datatransmission and for the eMBB data transmission may be different. ThegNB may need to indicate at least two independent MCS tables to the UEif the UE simultaneously supports both the eMBB and URLLC datatransmission. One MCS table may be for the eMBB and the other MCS tablemay be for the URLLC data transmission. A specific RNTI configured forURLLC data transmission may be called U-RNTI, which may also be referredto as MCS-C-RNTI in the following description. Several MAC relatedprocedures within the UE's MAC entity dealing with the dynamic radioresource granting from the gNB are described below.

Case #4-a: Downlink Shared Channel (DL-SCH) Data Transfer

Downlink assignments received on the PDCCH both indicate that there is atransmission on a DL-SCH for a particular MAC entity and provide therelevant hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information. If the UEis configured with the MCS-C-RNTI by the gNB, the UE may apply thefollowing procedure for the DL-SCH data transfer procedure within itsMAC entity.

When the MAC entity has a C-RNTI, MCS-C-RNTI, Temporary C-RNTI, orCS-RNTI, the MAC entity may for each PDCCH occasion during which itmonitors PDCCH and for each Serving Cell:

1> if a downlink assignment for this PDCCH occasion and this ServingCell has been received on the PDCCH for the MAC entity's C-RNTI,MCS-C-RNTI, or Temporary C-RNTI:

-   -   2> if this is the first downlink assignment for this Temporary        C-RNTI:        -   3> consider the NDI to have been toggled.    -   2> if the downlink assignment is for the MAC entity's C-RNTI or        MCS-C-RNTI, and if the previous downlink assignment indicated to        the HARQ entity of the same HARQ process was either a downlink        assignment received for the MAC entity's CS-RNTI or a configured        downlink assignment:        -   3> consider the NDI to have been toggled regardless of the            value of the NDI.    -   2> indicate the presence of a downlink assignment and deliver        the associated HARQ information to the HARQ entity.

Case #4-b: Uplink Shared Channel (UL-SCH) Data Transfer

Uplink grant may be either received dynamically on the PDCCH, in aRandom Access Response, or configured semi-persistently by RRC. The MACentity may have an uplink grant to transmit on the UL-SCH. To performthe requested transmissions, the MAC layer receives HARQ informationfrom lower layers. If the UE is configured with the MCS-C-RNTI by thegNB, the UE may apply the following procedure for the UL-SCH datatransfer procedure within its MAC entity.

If the MAC entity has a C-RNTI, MCS-C-RNTI, a Temporary C-RNTI, orCS-RNTI, the MAC entity may for each PDCCH occasion and for each ServingCell belonging to a TAG that has a running timeAlignmentTimer and foreach grant received for this PDCCH occasion:

1> if an uplink grant for this Serving Cell has been received on thePDCCH for the MAC entity's C-RNTI, MCS-C-RNTI or Temporary C-RNTI; or

-   -   1> if an uplink grant has been received in a Random Access        Response:        -   2> if the uplink grant is for MAC entity's C-RNTI or            MCS-C-RNTI and if the previous uplink grant delivered to the            HARQ entity for the same HARQ process was either an uplink            grant received for the MAC entity's CS-RNTI or a configured            uplink grant:            -   3> consider the NDI to have been toggled for the                corresponding HARQ process regardless of the value of                the NDI.        -   2> if the uplink grant is for MAC entity's C-RNTI or            MCS-C-RNTI, and the identified HARQ process is configured            for a configured uplink grant:            -   3> start or restart the configuredGrantTimer for the                corresponding HARQ process, if configured.        -   2> deliver the uplink grant and the associated HARQ            information to the HARQ entity.

Case #4-c: Discontinuous Reception (DRX)

If the UE is configured with the MCS-C-RNTI by the gNB, the UE may applythe following procedure for the DRX procedure within its MAC entity.

The MAC entity may be configured by RRC with a DRX functionality thatcontrols the UE's PDCCH monitoring activity for the MAC entity's C-RNTI,MCS-C-RNTI, CS-RNTI, INT-RNTI, SFI-RNTI, SP-CSI-RNTI, TPC-PUCCH-RNTI,TPC-PUSCH-RNTI, and TPC-SRS-RNTI. When in RRC CONNECTED, if DRX isconfigured, the MAC entity may monitor the PDCCH discontinuously usingthe DRX operation; otherwise the MAC entity may monitor the PDCCHcontinuously.

Case #4-d: Bandwidth Part (BWP) Operation

If the MAC entity receives a PDCCH for BWP switching for a Serving Cellwhile a Random Access procedure associated with that Serving Cell isongoing in the MAC entity, it is up to UE implementation whether toswitch BWP or ignore the PDCCH for BWP switching, except for the PDCCHreception for BWP switching addressed to the C-RNTI for successfulRandom Access procedure completion in which case the UE may perform BWPswitching to a BWP indicated by the PDCCH. Upon reception of the PDCCHfor BWP switching other than successful contention resolution, if theMAC entity decides to perform BWP switching, the MAC entity may stop theongoing Random Access procedure and initiate a Random Access procedureon the new activated BWP; if the MAC decides to ignore the PDCCH for BWPswitching, the MAC entity may continue with the ongoing Random Accessprocedure on the active BWP. If the UE is configured with the MCS-C-RNTIby the gNB, the UE may apply the following procedure for the BWPoperation within its MAC entity.

If the bwp-InactivityTimer is configured, the MAC entity may for eachactivated Serving Cell:

-   -   1> if the defaultDownlinkBWP is configured, and the active DL        BWP is not the BWP indicated by the defaultDownlinkBWP; or    -   1> if the defaultDownlinkBWP is not configured, and the active        DL BWP is not the initialDownlinkBWP:        -   2> if a PDCCH addressed to C-RNTI, MCS-C-RNTI or CS-RNTI            indicating downlink assignment or uplink grant is received            on the active BWP; or        -   2> if a PDCCH addressed to C-RNTI, MCS-C-RNTI or CS-RNTI            indicating downlink assignment or uplink grant is received            for the active BWP; or        -   2> if a MAC PDU is transmitted in a configured uplink grant            or received in a configured downlink assignment:            -   3> if there is no ongoing random access procedure                associated with this Serving Cell; or            -   3> if the ongoing random access procedure associated                with this Serving Cell is successfully completed upon                reception of this PDCCH addressed to C-RNTI or                MCS-C-RNTI:                -   4> start or restart the bwp-InactivityTimer                    associated with the active DL BWP.

FIG. 16 illustrates a block diagram of a device for wirelesscommunication, in accordance with various aspects of the presentapplication. As shown in FIG. 16, device 1600 may include transceiver1620, processor 1626, memory 1628, one or more presentation components1634, and at least one antenna 1636. Device 1600 may also include aRadio Frequency (RF) spectrum band module, a base station communicationsmodule, a network communications module, and a system communicationsmanagement module, input/output (I/O) ports, I/O components, and powersupply (not explicitly shown in FIG. 16). Each of these components maybe in communication with each other, directly or indirectly, over one ormore buses 1640.

Transceiver 1620 having transmitter 1622 and receiver 1624 may beconfigured to transmit and/or receive time and/or frequency resourcepartitioning information. In some implementations, transceiver 1620 maybe configured to transmit in different types of subframes and slotsincluding, but not limited to, usable, non-usable and flexibly usablesubframes and slot formats. Transceiver 1620 may be configured toreceive data and control channels.

Device 1600 may include a variety of computer-readable media.Computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessedby device 1600 and include both volatile and non-volatile media,removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and notlimitation, computer-readable media may comprise computer storage mediaand communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatileand non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in anymethod or technology for storage of information such ascomputer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules orother data.

Computer storage media includes RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or othermemory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or otheroptical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices. Computer storage media doesnot comprise a propagated data signal. Communication media typicallyembodies computer-readable instructions, data structures, programmodules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier waveor other transport mechanism and includes any information deliverymedia. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one ormore of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encodeinformation in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,communication media includes wired media such as a wired network ordirect-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF,infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the aboveshould also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

Memory 1628 may include computer-storage media in the form of volatileand/or non-volatile memory. Memory 1628 may be removable, non-removable,or a combination thereof. Example memory includes solid-state memory,hard drives, optical-disc drives, and etc. As illustrated in FIG. 16,memory 1628 may store computer-readable, computer-executableinstructions 1632 (e.g., software codes) that are configured to, whenexecuted, cause processor 1626 to perform various functions describedherein, for example, with reference to FIGS. 1 through 15.Alternatively, instructions 1632 may not be directly executable byprocessor 1626 but be configured to cause device 1600 (e.g., whencompiled and executed) to perform various functions described herein.

Processor 1626 may include an intelligent hardware device, e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an ASIC, and etc.Processor 1626 may include memory. Processor 1626 may process data 1630and instructions 1632 received from memory 1628, and information throughtransceiver 1620, the base band communications module, and/or thenetwork communications module. Processor 1626 may also processinformation to be sent to transceiver 1620 for transmission throughantenna 1636, to the network communications module for transmission to acore network.

One or more presentation components 1634 presents data indications to aperson or other device. Exemplary one or more presentation components1634 include a display device, speaker, printing component, vibratingcomponent, and etc.

From the above description, it is manifest that various techniques canbe used for implementing the concepts described in the presentapplication without departing from the scope of those concepts.Moreover, while the concepts have been described with specific referenceto certain implementations, a person of ordinary skill in the art mayrecognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departingfrom the scope of those concepts. As such, the described implementationsare to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive. It should also be understood that the present applicationis not limited to the particular implementations described above, butmany rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions are possiblewithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A user equipment (UE) for performing packet dataconvergence protocol (PDCP) duplication, comprising: a processor; and amemory coupled to the processor, the memory storing acomputer-executable program that when executed by the processor, causesthe processor to: receive, from a base station (BS), a radio resourcecontrol (RRC) message configuring a logical channel with a logicalchannel prioritization (LCP) restriction and configuring the logicalchannel to be associated with a data radio bearer (DRB) configured witha PDCP duplication function, wherein the PDCP duplication function isassociated with a first cell group; receive, from the BS, an uplink (UL)grant indicating a UL resource on a serving cell; initiate an LCPprocedure for generating a protocol data unit (PDU) to be transmitted onthe UL resource; and determine whether to apply the LCP restrictionduring the LCP procedure upon determining that the PDCP duplicationfunction is deactivated.
 2. The UE of claim 1, wherein determiningwhether to apply the LCP restriction during the LCP procedure comprises:determining not to apply the LCP restriction during the LCP procedureupon determining that the PDCP duplication function is deactivated andthe PDCP duplication function is not associated with a second cellgroup.
 3. The UE of claim 1, wherein: the LCP restriction is configuredby an RRC information element (IE); and the LCP restriction indicates atleast one serving cell that is allowed to be applied by the logicalchannel for UL data transmission.
 4. A method for packet dataconvergence protocol (PDCP) duplication performed by a user equipment(UE), comprising: receiving, from a base station (BS), a radio resourcecontrol (RRC) message configuring a logical channel with a logicalchannel prioritization (LCP) restriction and configuring the logicalchannel to be associated with a data radio bearer (DRB) configured witha PDCP duplication function, wherein the PDCP duplication function isassociated with a first cell group; receiving, from the BS, an uplink(UL) grant indicating a UL resource on a serving cell; initiating an LCPprocedure for generating a protocol data unit (PDU) to be transmitted onthe UL resource; and determining whether to apply the LCP restrictionduring the LCP procedure upon determining that the PDCP duplicationfunction is deactivated.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein determiningwhether to apply the LCP restriction during the LCP procedure comprises:determining not to apply the LCP restriction during the LCP procedureupon determining that the PDCP duplication function is deactivated andthe PDCP duplication function is not associated with a second cellgroup.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein: the LCP restriction isconfigured by an RRC information element (IE); and the LCP restrictionindicates at least one serving cell that is allowed to be applied by thelogical channel for UL data transmission.